In the Huffington Post Mark Schuller, an anthropologist working in Haiti and professor of NGO development, lists a number of policy recommendations for international NGOs and other agencies working in Haiti. His key point, in my view, is addressing the need for greater involvement of the local, beneficiary population. More participation will provide more ownership by those benefiting from the project. It also means the local population will have a voice and a stake in the process, and a greater chance for control over what is happening.

Will Vicky be able to make more money now that her husband has left his job? Will Miriam be able to fulfill her dream of owning her own house? What about Vicky’s pregnant teenage sister? How will a new baby affect the household? And who, after all, is the “man” in Cambodia? These and other questions captivated a full house at the Foromic panel on using non-traditional media techniques for training. Non-traditional it was, with discussions of telenovelas (soap operas) and reality TV shows, HIV-AIDS, financial literacy and savings accounts, child trafficking and women’s and men’s household roles. This panel proved how financial, academic, and health institutions are using soaps for more than daytime dithering. In fact, some of the LAC region’s leading microfinance organizations are proving that combining such seemingly frivolous fare with important messages can be an effective and sustainable vehicle for providing training and achieving behavioral changes.